As Houston Academy goes after its third ever state baseball championship this week when it meets Gordo starting Wednesday in a best-of-three Class 3A series in Oxford, Jeff Hale reflects
It was during a Sunday doubleheader on May 16, 1993, when Hale’s bunch pulled off a 6-1, 6-2 sweep over Randolph of Huntsville to claim the Class 1A state championship at Northcutt Field.
“The next day we won our first game of the year at Wicksburg and from then on we started playing good baseball for the rest of the year.” It is rare for any high school sporting event to be scheduled for a Sunday, but Randolph had several baseball players who also were involved in soccer on Friday night, so the exception was made.“They had a really good No. 1 pitcher,” Hale said. “I think on the year, he was 10-1. We matched him up against Scott Walker, which was our plan all along … we were going to throw our best in Game 1.
Justin Stickler was a freshman on the team and starting second baseman. The performance Casey put on didn’t surprise him. “I had pitched the third game in the semis, so I was really focused on being competitive, making sure that we as a team were all working together,” Williamson said. “My mindset when I pitched was to go out there and throw strikes and let the defense work. I wasn’t a power pitcher. I just wanted to get ball in play and get those outs.”
Hale called on Reynolds, who along with Matt McFarland and Walker, were the only seniors on the team. “You have accomplished something together and you pile on and you’re just loving it during that moment. Even 30 years later, it’s a good feeling to have been able to do that.” Both Stickler and Jason Williamson have a better understanding now of how difficult it is to win a state championship.
As Hale looked out onto the field and watched the enthusiasm of the fans, it made him proud that today’s success in a way began with the 1993 team. The Raiders also won the state crown in 2014.
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